Madagascar forest rail
| Madagascar wood rail | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Sarothruridae |
| Genus: | Mentocrex |
| Species: | M. kioloides |
| Binomial name | |
| Mentocrex kioloides (Pucheran, 1845) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Canirallus kioloides | |
The Madagascar forest rail (Mentocrex kioloides), also known as the Madagascar wood rail or the kioloides rail, is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae. It is endemic to forests, often in wet areas, in northern and eastern Madagascar. The Madagascar forest rail is a secretive and shy species, often showing elusive behavior, such as running away from the slightest disturbances. This has contributed to a lack of study on this species; a reason why it is not that well known.
This species was formerly placed in the genus Canirallus together with Tsingy forest rail and the grey-throated rail. A molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-throated rail is not closely related to the forest rails. The forest rails were therefore moved to the resurrected genus Mentocrex.